Planeswalker Design

I must leave to karate in half an hour and will not come back on afterwards. I have no time to judge in detail, so if you want details of why you didn't win, inbox me.

The winner is picks-at-flies.

Thu, 2011-06-02 21:54

Guitarweeps

Head Administrator

Stonesharders of the Aethervoid
Land Planeswalker
+1: Add to your mana pool.
-3: Destroy target nonbasic land.
-9: You gain an emblem with "Tap an untapped land you control: That land deals 1 damage to target creature or player."
{2}

Serena of the SederinPlaneswalker - Serena{+1} Return target creature you control and target creature your opponent controls to their respective owners hands.{-1} Target creature phases out until end of turn.{-7} All creatures controlled by target opponent phase out until end of turn.{4}

They never should've gotten rid of phasing. I mean, lots of the cards in Time Spiral had it, but didn't use the keyword =P

Mayus the Savant
Planeswalker -- Mayus
+1: Target creature gets -4/-0 until your next upkeep. Draw a card.
-2: Each player sacrifices a creature, then draws three cards.
-8: You get an emblem with "Creatures with power less than or equal to the number of cards in your hand can't attack you and are unblockable.".
3

Typhonus, Master of Sky and Water
Planeswalker - Typhonus
Whenever a creature deals combat damage to ~, return that creature to it's owner's hand. Then, draw a card.
+2: Until the beginning of your next upkeep, creatures without flying or islandwalk can't attack or block.
0: Target nontoken creature's controller sacrifices it, then reveals cards from the top of his or her library until he or she reveals a creature card. The player puts that card onto the battlefield, then shuffles all other cards revealed this way into his or her library.
-10: Return all creatures to their owner's hands.
4

Cthulhu eats YER MIND SOUL AND BRAIN.
He also makes for a kickbutt eldrazi deck.

Sat, 2011-06-04 22:48

Guitarweeps

Head Administrator

Jader Sinnowa
Planeswalker - Jader
+1: Target creature is 0/2 and has no abilities until your next upkeep.
-1: Shuffle target creature into its owner's library. That creature's controller draws two cards.
-5: Search your opponent's library for any number of creature cards that share a name with a creature that player controls and put them onto the battlefield under your control.
3

The +1 will nuetralize the biggest threat which also allows it to stay on the battlefield for the ultimate and the second can deal with anything or give you card advantage... or even shuffle a duplicate creature into the library for you to snag later on!

Jace, the Field Voider
Planeswalker-Jace
+1: Each player returns a creature they control from the battlefield to their owner's hand.
-2: Return target creature to it's owner's hand.
-6: Return each creature target player controls to their owner's hand.
Loyalty: 3

Sun, 2011-06-05 08:33

copapoc

Daark, the disruptive
Planeswalker - Daark
+1: Destroy target creature. It can’t be regenerated. That creature’s controller puts a 3/3 green Ape creature token into play.
-2: Return all tokens put into play by ~ to their owners hand.
-7: All creatures lose all abilities and are 1/1.
<3>

Sun, 2011-06-05 16:56

TrenchCoatGuy

Jace, the Creature Negator
Planeswalker-Jace
+2 Tap all creatures target opponent controls. They do not untap during their owners next untap step.
-3 Return all creatures to their owners' hands.
-9 You get an emblem with 'All creatures opponents control are 1/1, and lose all abilities.'
4

What we think, we become.
Buddha

Sun, 2011-06-05 20:08

kikushadowblades

Featured Sets Editor

Naa Sadow, the Untouchable
Planeswalker - Naa
+2: You get an emblem with "Whenever an opponent casts a creature spell sacrifice this emblem. If you do, draw a card."
-1: You get an emblem with "Sacrifice this emblem: counter target creature spell."
-6: you get and emblem with "Whenever an opponent casts a creature spell, counter it."
[2]

Sohel reporting after taking a shower.
Saaf Nova
Planeswalker - Saaf
+1 Put target creature on top of it's owner's library. Discard a card.
-2 Put two target creatures on the bottom of their owner's library in any order. Discard a card.
-9 Draw a card for each creature on the battlefield. You have no maximum hand size for the rest of the game.
4

Lol, this is certainly a bizarre coincidence... and I hope by "deal" with creatures you simply mean interacting with them, not specifically getting rid of them.

Spoiler:

Cerik, Tempest Executor
Planeswalker - Cerik
+1: Until end of turn, creatures target player controls can't be the target of spells or abilities your opponents control.
-2: Put a 1/1 blue Illusion creature token onto the battlefield. It can't block and is unblockable.
-6: Each creature target player controls becomes a copy of target nonlegendary creature until end of turn.
Loyalty: 3

The Tempest is a faction from my Stormfall set that is concerned with finding new sources of mana and spells, along with ensuring a smooth transition each time their home plane is about to come into contact with another. They specialize a lot in secrecy and hiding information so they're mostly blue, but there are also many agents that fit into other colors as well.

-3: You gain an emblem that states: Name a card, you may sacrifice this emblem to counter a spell of the same name.

-9: You gain an emblem that states: Islands you control have , : Return target permanent to it’s owners hand

Loyalty: 4

Fri, 2011-06-10 11:55

Icarael

Talvath, Master of the Will
Planeswalker- Talvath
+2: Target creature gets -3/-0 until end of turn. Draw a card.
-4: Gain control of target creature.
-10: You gain an emblem with "If a creature would enter the battlefield under an opponent's control, it enters the battlefield under your control instead."
Loyalty: 5

Selenus, the Arctrickster
Planeswalker - Selenus
+1: Switch target creature's power and toughness until the beginning of your next upkeep.
-2: During target opponent's next turn creature spells he or she casts cost more to cast.
-8: Target player gets an emblem with "Creatures you control don't untap during your untap step."
[5]

Tyve Torrentlord
Planeswalker - Tyve
If a permanent with a flood counter would untap, its controller removes a flood counter from it instead.
+1: Put a flood counter on target creature. Tap that creature.
-1: Put a flood counter on target permanent. Tap that permanent.
-8: Put a flood counter on each permanent you don’t control. Tap those permanents, then proliferate.
[4]

Sat, 2011-06-11 16:14

Picks-at-Flies

To answer Rusty, the it needed to be a planeswalker which could help in resisting opponents' creatures. However, as the submisions indicate, there are many, many ways to do that; nor does it need to be the only function of the 'walker. I will be dividing scores between:
Abilities - how good the individual abilities are in the abstract
Overall - 50% how well the abilities all come together and 50% whether it fits the challenge description "monoblue planeswalker whose primary function is to deal with creatures".

HerzinthTheDark

Serena of the Sederin
Planeswalker - Serena
{+1} Return target creature you control and target creature your opponent controls to their respective owners hands.
{-1} Target creature phases out until end of turn.
{-7} All creatures controlled by target opponent phase out until end of turn.
{4}

Spoiler:

You talk about phasing, but don't use it. It is instead the same ability as Mistmeadow Witch which is (mostly) a white ability. As such I have to deduct marks for bad templating on two abilities. The first ability is definitely good, but again do your research (Peel from Reality). The second doesn't feel like a -1 and would be better as another +1. The final one would be better as "target player" so you could save your own cards from a Wrath - but it also doesn't feel like much of an ultimate.

I'm not adverse to not having an ultimate, but what you have done is given a planeswalker three alternative ways of dealing with the same creature which isn't going to really entice anybody.

Abilities - 9
Overall - 5

elmdor

Mayus the Savant
Planeswalker -- Mayus
+1: Target creature gets -4/-0 until your next upkeep. Draw a card.
-2: Each player sacrifices a creature, then draws three cards.
-8: You get an emblem with "Creatures with power less than or equal to the number of cards in your hand can't attack you and are unblockable.".
3

Spoiler:

I really like this, it's so blue and yet so effective. The ultimate, if you can pull it off, would be hilarious in multiplayer. I'm going to deduct one mark because I think it would need some testing to polish it, but that's about it.

Abilities - 8
Overall - 10

k1l1

Typhonus, Master of Sky and Water
Planeswalker - Typhonus
Whenever a creature deals combat damage to ~, return that creature to it's owner's hand. Then, draw a card.
+2: Until the beginning of your next upkeep, creatures without flying or islandwalk can't attack or block.
0: Target nontoken creature's controller sacrifices it, then reveals cards from the top of his or her library until he or she reveals a creature card. The player puts that card onto the battlefield, then shuffles all other cards revealed this way into his or her library.
-10: Return all nonland permanents to their owner's hands.
4

Spoiler:

A four ability planeswalker with huuuuge amounts of text that wouldn't fit in the box. Oops. Ignoring the 0 ability, I think this card is suitably impressive for a six mana planeswalker. While it's very good at protecting itself, I think it works at the cost. I also think the ultimate should include "you don't control". The 0 ability on the other hand is good in theory but just too wordy.

A -1 on Jace, the best planeswalker of all time, becomes a +2 Sicatel who costs less. Something wrong, surely? Curiously, I LIKE the second ability in context, because it's quite tough to pull it off effectively when it's most needed. Finally the ultimate seems to benefit non-blue players more than the monoblue it seems aimed at.

Abilities - 6
Overall - 5

Guitarweeps

Jader Sinnowa
Planeswalker - Jader
+1: Target creature is 0/2 and has no abilities until your next upkeep.
-1: Shuffle target creature into its owner's library. That creature's controller draws two cards.
-5: Search your opponent's library for any number of creature cards that share a name with a creature that player controls and put them onto the battlefield under your control.
3

Spoiler:

I think the only criticism I have on Jader is that it seems a little overcosted. The ultimate is fun but not reliably strong, similarly the other abilities have the flexibility of Jace Belleren rather than Jace the Mind Sculptor.

Abilities - 9
Overall - 8
Welcome back to the top of the pile

New Kind of Christ

Jace, the Field Voider
Planeswalker-Jace
+1: Each player returns a creature they control from the battlefield to their owner's hand.
-2: Return target creature to it's owner's hand.
-6: Return each creature target player controls to their owner's hand.
Loyalty: 3

Spoiler:

And here we have Jace in action. Individually I like the abilities. Overall, I really could have done with the second ability being something completely different (and it not being Jace; dangerous to use a Planewalker with existing baggage).

Abilities - 9
Overall - 7

copapoc

Daark, the disruptive
Planeswalker - Daark
+1: Destroy target creature. It can’t be regenerated. That creature’s controller puts a 3/3 green Ape creature token into play.
-2: Return all tokens put into play by ~ to their owners hand.
-7: All creatures lose all abilities and are 1/1.
<3>

Spoiler:

Clearly Pongify is very popular (and quite right too), but 'can't be regenerated' is wrong. It was one of the *fun* things about the card. I like the idea of the second ability but it could have been phrased differently ("with converted mana cost 0 controlled by target player" probably). And I think the ultimate should have been an emblem.

Abilities - 6
Overall - 8

TrenchCoatGuy

Jace, the Creature Negator
Planeswalker-Jace
+2 Tap all creatures target opponent controls. They do not untap during their owners next untap step.
-3 Return all creatures to their owners' hands.
-9 You get an emblem with 'All creatures opponents control are 1/1, and lose all abilities.'
4

Spoiler:

The +2 feels like a -2 (it's Sleep, an uncommon bomb). Again, the second ability just seems to be another way of doing the same thing. As does the ultimate in fact.

Abilities - 5
Overall - 6

kikushadowblades

Naa Sadow, the Untouchable
Planeswalker - Naa
+2: You get an emblem with "Whenever an opponent casts a creature spell sacrifice this emblem. If you do, draw a card."
-1: You get an emblem with "Sacrifice this emblem: counter target creature spell."
-6: you get and emblem with "Whenever an opponent casts a creature spell, counter it."
[2]

Spoiler:

Three emblems huh? I like the attempt to give a planeswalker Instant-like effects but I think players would curse you. The thing is, it's not hard to turn it around: change the first ability, "Until the beginning of your next upkeep, the next time a player casts a creature spell draw a card.", make a new second ability and leave the ultimate.

Abilities - 6
Overall - 7

Sohel

Saaf Nova
Planeswalker - Saaf
+1 Put target creature on top of it's owner's library. Discard a card.
-2 Put two target creatures on the bottom of their owner's library in any order. Discard a card.
-9 Draw a card for each creature on the battlefield. You have no maximum hand size for the rest of the game.
4

Spoiler:

Individually, the abilities are really good. Overall though it suffers since the first two abilities are removing creatures from the battlefield which has anti-synergy with the ultimate. With Kiku's ultimate it would have been insane (in a good way).

Abilities - 8
Overall - 7

Rusty Keyes

Cerik, Tempest Executor
Planeswalker - Cerik
+1: Until end of turn, creatures target player controls can't be the target of spells or abilities your opponents control.
-2: Put a 1/1 blue Illusion creature token onto the battlefield. It can't block and is unblockable.
-6: Each creature you control becomes a copy of target nonlegendary creature until end of turn.
Loyalty: 3

Spoiler:

I really like bits of this card. I want the first ability to be slightly wider (time or effect, although I'm not sure how I would balance it) and I want the last ability to be permanent. However, overall it just feels off, in a way I can't put my finger on. I think it's that feeling that if I played it I wouldn't know what to do with it.

Abilities - 8
Overall - 8

EyeofTruth

Mysmeris the Banisher
Planeswalker - Mysmeris
+2: Return target creature to it's owners hand
-3: You gain an emblem that states: Name a card, you may sacrifice this emblem to counter a spell of the same name.
-9: You gain an emblem that states: Islands you control have , Tap symbol: Return target permanent to it’s owners hand
Loyalty: 4

Spoiler:

Another two-emblem planeswalker, and one of them requires memory. At six mana I can see bounce being a +2, but overall it doesn't feel like a six mana planeswalker. Koth is only four mana and he has an equivalent and cheaper ultimate. I don't have an easy fix for this.

Abilities - 5
Overall - 6

Icarael the Wanderer

Talvath, Master of the Will
Planeswalker- Talvath
+2: Target creature gets -3/-0 until end of turn. Draw a card.
-4: Gain control of target creature.
-10: You gain an emblem with "If a creature would enter the battlefield under an opponent's control, it enters the battlefield under your control instead."
Loyalty: 5

Spoiler:

The first and second abilities are evil, in a really good way. The first ability I feel is a bit meh for a five mana walker (see GW's above) but then it is a +2. It does get the bonus point for me going "oh yeah!".

Abilities - 9
Overall - 9

The Sensual Coatl

Selenus, the Arctrickster
Planeswalker - Selenus
+1: Switch target creature's power and toughness until the beginning of your next upkeep.
-2: During target opponent's next turn creature spells he or she casts cost more to cast.
-8: Target player gets an emblem with "Creatures you control don't untap during your untap step."
[5]

Spoiler:

Individually I like all the abilities. Overall, I feel the second should have affected all spells (with rebalancing as necessary), and that the first ability doesn't really tie in with the other abilities (although clearly does with the title (presumably Archtrickster)).

Abilities - 8
Overall - 8

Vinyacoire

Tyve Torrentlord
Planeswalker - Tyve
If a permanent with a flood counter would untap, its controller removes a flood counter from it instead.
+1: Put a flood counter on target creature. Tap that creature.
-1: Put a flood counter on target permanent. Tap that permanent.
-8: Put a flood counter on each permanent you don’t control. Tap those permanents, then proliferate.
[4]

Spoiler:

I have no problem with flood counters on lands, since they are rarely confused with other counters. Not so much on creatures etc. My other big beef with this card is including a non-evergreen keyword although I agree it's an awesome place to put it. Finally, I think it's overcosted.

Abilities - 7
Overall - 6

So only three submissions rose to the top, of which two got 18 points. The winner is:

Spoiler:

Icareal, because I think Talvath is close to being printable than elmdor's Mayus.

Yeah, I had a really hard time with the ultimate because it was so circumstancial. I toyed with some other ones but this one just seemed so much fun that I could not pass it up. I suppose it could run about

I just knew I was going to lose! I find designing blue planeswalkers especially hard, because blue doesn't really do anything cataclysmic. Especially blue planeswalkers that deal with creatures, because IMOHO, gaining control can't be put into a + ability for pure cost and bouncing is extremely lame.

Cthulhu eats YER MIND SOUL AND BRAIN.
He also makes for a kickbutt eldrazi deck.

Sun, 2011-06-12 16:48

TrenchCoatGuy

I always like to think of losing as a learning experience. And congratulations to Icareal.
Cthulu, you are aware that all the non-artifact Power 9 cards are blue, yes?

What we think, we become.
Buddha

Sun, 2011-06-12 18:25

Crissaegrim

And the most powerful Planeswalker is blue. . .

Sun, 2011-06-12 21:19

Thething1991

Also note how NONE of those cards really deal with creatures like the other colors. Once they come out, blue kind of cries unless it has help from black or white.

Also, next contest?

Mon, 2011-06-13 12:54

Cthulhupwn

Yes, yes I do trenchcoat. It's just that they don't feel... really cool. Draw 3 cards, ok. Take an extra turn, cool. Reshuffle, pretty cool. The thing with the power 9 was that they were underpriced, not powerful in effects.
I view losing as an opportunity to learn. I just got a little hotheaded there.

Cthulhu eats YER MIND SOUL AND BRAIN.
He also makes for a kickbutt eldrazi deck.

NEXT CHALLENGE: Pick one of the current crop of planeswalkers (like Jace and Liliana). Remake them in any way you see fit. Add colors, give them new abilities, change their name-- just make them different from their original incarnation.

Ooh, how very fun. While I don't make many Planeswalkers, they were always my favorite card type once I learned of them.

I'll remake Elspeth, as she's my favorite, and reworking her into something wicked ... for some reason it appeals to me.

Elspeth, The Corrupted
Planeswalker - Elspeth
+2: Place a Poison counter on you and one target opponent.
-1: Place a -1/-1 counter on all creatures target player controls.
-2: Put two 1/1 Black Horror Creature Tokens with Infect onto the battlefield under your control.
-10: You gain an emblem with "All creatures you control have Infect and Fear as long as they are black,"
4 Loyalty Counters.

Magic: The Gathering. An obsession that just keeps popping up and I can't stay away from it if I tried.

Wed, 2011-06-15 16:38

windandfire

So here's my blue Garruk, being submitted to a contest for the third time. It's not that I'm lazy, I just really like him.

Story Summary: Liliana, who had cursed Garruk, specifically tried to avoid traveling near sources of green mana. She found a sunken temple containing traces of demonic power, and an inactive portal to somewhere far away beneath a large sea. Catching her trail, Garruk found himself out of place by the waves. He was amazed at how closely the Merfolk of this region hunted like a wolf pack, and started to learn and interact with them.

Garruk Wavespeaker -
Planeswalker - Garruk
+1: Target land becomes an island until the beginning of your next upkeep.
-1: Put a 2/2 blue Merfolk creature token with islandwalk onto the battlefield.
-4: Creatures you control get +1/+1 and gain flying and shroud until end of turn.
{3}

The Merfolk would have totally been sharks if they had better tribal support .

Cthulhu eats YER MIND SOUL AND BRAIN.
He also makes for a kickbutt eldrazi deck.

Thu, 2011-06-16 14:20

Raznaak

Garruk corrupted by Lilianna

Garruk Deathspeaker
Planeswalker - Garruk
+1: Put a 2/1 and black Zombie Beast creature token with ": Regenerate this creature." onto the battlefield.
-3: Target land gains "Sacrifice this land: Add three mana any combination of and/or to your mana pool."
-6: Creatures you control gets +2/+2 until end of turn and creatures your opponents control gets -2/-2 until end of turn. Whenever a creature an opponent controls dies this turn, put it onto the battlefield under your control at end of turn.
[3]

Nicol Bolas, Flamewaker
Planesalker-Bolas
+3: Nicol Bolas, Flamewaker deals 3 damage to each creature target player controls.
-0: Target player discards a card at random.
-4: Target player sacrifices a creature. Nicol Bolas, Flamewaker deals damage to that player equal to the sacrificed creature's power.
-X: Nicol Bolas, Flamewaker deals X damage to target player and X damage to each creature that player controls. That player discards X cards.
Loyalty: 5

Thu, 2011-06-16 02:58

TheAmazingKamahl

Chandra Reborn
Planeswalker - Chandra
+1 Target creature gains lifelink until end of turn.
-2 Deal 1 damage to each creature you don't control.
-7 You get an emblem that says "Whenever you deal damage, you gain that much life."
<4>

Backstory: Gideon's ways ahd finally gotten to Chandra. She embraced life magic now, but still kept her heart's flame burning. Her hair still catches on fire just as much .

Sarkon the Dragon King
Planeswalker - Sarkon
+5: Sacrifice a Dragon, if you don't, sacrifice @
0: Place a 1/1 red dragon with flying creature token on the battlefield
-3: Creatures you control get +1/+1 and gain flying and haste until end of turn
-13: Destroy all creatures, then place a 5/5 red green black dragon with flying and haste creature token for each creature destroyed this way
<9>

Story: Sarkons madness has gone full circle, his power has only grown over time and now he rivals in strength to the strongest of planeswalkers. Nicol Bolas, heavily wounded by several planeswalkers, retreated to his meditation plane, only to be finished off by Sarkon. Now Sarkon sits at the top of the empire Nicol Bolas has created, as the King of Dragons.

Fri, 2011-06-17 12:33

New Kind of Christ

It is... Sarkhan. Just thought you should know.

Fri, 2011-06-17 23:39

TrenchCoatGuy

Sorin,the Doom Bringer
Planeswalker-Sorin
+3 Target opponent loses 3 life, and you gain 3 life.
-4 You gain control of target creature an opponent controls. It becomes a black vampire in addition to it's other types.
-9 Search target opponent's hand, graveyard, and library for up to 7 cards, and exile them. You may play them without paying their mana cost.
5

What we think, we become.
Buddha

Sat, 2011-06-18 10:04

copapoc

Gideon, corrupted
Planeswalker - gideon
+2: During target opponent's next turn, creatures that player controls attack another target player if able.
-2: Destroy target two tapped creatures.
-4: you gain an emblem with "whenever a player gains, life, that player loses that much life instead." and "Permanents and spells your opponents control have lifelink"
<4>